Monday, July 20, 2009

Ardbeg Supernova

The whisky that has collectors throwing elbows and older enthusiasts scoffing at the hype surrounding it. It’s Supernova, the supposed peatiest whisky available and yours truly procured a bottle just over the suspected retail price which is nothing short of a miracle (2009 General Release as opposed to the earlier white label Committee release… even as an Ardbeg Committee member, this didn’t automatically mean you could buy a bottle, but more on that some other time).

A: A light golden yellow. Due to the higher alcohol content (58.9% vs. 54.2%) and lighter color, I suspect the Supernova is a younger whisky than the Uigeadail.

N: Quite peated, but not the peatiest nose out there (surprising). Getting some cask (perhaps bourbon) and all the usual Ardbeg notes (earthiness and salty sea air).

T: Immediately peat, smoke, earth, sooty fire and rubber. Shockingly, I was expecting something far more brutal (as if my description wasn’t brutal). The level of intensity seems to be on par with Uigeadail, but a little less sweetness and a little more peaty fire… a more savory finish.

To be honest, I picked this up more as a novelty piece not expecting to really enjoy it. I was expecting something more raw peat bog-y, fiery, and quite frankly, destructive (think Port Charlotte). On the contrary, it’s actually fairly well balanced and dare I say it, I think I enjoy it more than the Uigeadail (my little whisky club agrees… half the bottle was missing after the first tasting :cries:). With the scarcity and current private sale prices, I’ll be a little more careful with the remainder of the bottle.